Top-ranked men's volleyball team takes on Arizona State
The No. 1-ranked UA men's volleyball team has dominated its club competition on the court this year. The Wildcats have even dominated some of the NCAA Division I teams they've played.
Now, though, they face a bigger challenge.
They want to break the club record for attendance at a volleyball game, which means they need over 650 people to show up to the Student Recreation Center tonight at 7:30 as Arizona State comes to town.
The game is only the second home match for the Wildcats and UA's second meeting with the Sun Devils this year. Arizona defeated ASU at the Desert Thunder Tournament earlier this season.
Sophomore Kevin Jones said playing the Sun Devils before will give the Wildcats an advantage.
"Beating them earlier in the season is going to make them revenge-minded, but since we know a little bit about them, it will be one of the most fun matches," he said.
ASU is regarded by most of the Wildcats as one of the top five club teams in the nation, but that isn't scaring any of the players.
"If we go in and play as a team, we're pretty confident that we can play with anyone in the country," Mike Stowell said.
Jeremy Koop has even more faith in his team.
"We beat them earlier this year, it's not going to be pretty. We are going to kill them," he said.
The Wildcats are currently 19-0 against club teams. This past weekend, with victories against California and Division I Stanford, the Wildcats improved to 21-4 overall. They are currently 2-4 against the Division I opponents.
Setter Steve Walker said playing Division I teams is a challenge.
"Teams like Stanford are a whole different level," he said. "They are bigger and more physical at each position."
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